In the poem "The Abandoned Bundle", Mtshali uses specific word choice to convey meaning to the reader. Imagery is used to paint a visual picture for the reader, the first-person narration allows for a reader to see a real story told by a real person, and the tone conveys emotions felt by the author.

The poem is filed with language meant to bring out feelings of compassion and disgust. While the disgust seems to overwhelm the majority of the poem, it ends on a much more compassionate note.

The descriptions of the choking smoke which blankets the homes, the bloodied and scavenging dogs, and the mutilated corpse bring about images of a forlorn and abandoned place. This imagery is both overwhelming and exacting in descriptive nature.

In the end, the poem changes dramatically. A mother, dead, is described as innocent and pure. While this seems unimportant, it allows a reader to see the truth behind the meaning: there is hope in even the darkest places and moments.

While some may disagree (given poetry is subjective and open to personal interpretation) the poem, even if filled with the morbid and disgusting, still holds the promise of purity being obtained- even after the lose of a child to packs of dogs.